Advantages of an ALPR and ShotSpotter Integration

Gun crime investigations are a challenging aspect of law enforcement, made more difficult by staffing shortages and siloed investigative systems. Separately, systems like Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) and a gunshot detection system like ShotSpotter can provide gun crime leads faster. Using technology to see which vehicles are coming from the scene of gunfire can help identify possible suspects and witnesses. The integration of these two technologies – ALPR and ShotSpotter offers significant investigative advantages.

Investigative Benefits of PlateRanger

PlateRanger is a comprehensive solution offering real-time insights and robust integrations that increase investigative capacity. High-definition video clips and superior nighttime video imaging provide clear investigative leads and strong evidence for criminal cases. Alert integrations with NCIC stolen vehicles and other hotlists increase officer safety through situational awareness. PlateRanger™ powered by Rekor®, provides high-quality read performance with 24/7 customer service and a single subscription price. It is CJIS-compliant and secure, including an option for solar power for remote deployments.

• Reviewing LPR video clips: Investigators can identify vehicles that may be associated with crimes using precise date, time, and location. Video clips provide situational context beyond vehicle images and characteristics, such as people entering/exiting a suspect vehicle or more potential witnesses.
• Speeding up investigations: Historical vehicle leads, along with LPR video clips and alerts for wanted vehicles, provide actionable and smarter investigative leads. Search historical plate reads to unlock criminal travel patterns and apprehend criminals in the safest locations and times. If a vehicle is an investigative lead in a gun crime incident, historical plate reads may find additional instances of the vehicle near other incidents, raising that vehicle to the top of the investigative leads.
  • Crime travel patterns: Using PlateRanger’s historical data provides information on the routine of the suspect vehicle. Investigators can determine where and when the vehicle moves around within range of the ALPRs, allowing law enforcement to find the safest place and time to apprehend the suspect.
• AI and machine learning capabilities: PlateRanger’s advanced analytics unlock insights into crime trends and criminal organizations. The analytics portion of PlateRanger provides insights into vehicle convoys and other interdiction information. When integrated with ShotSpotter for precise gunfire locations, PlateRanger provides data on vehicles that were involved in the gun crime and other historical crimes or may have witnessed the shooting.
• Real-time insights: LPRs act as a force multiplier, helping find vehicle-related leads, including possible suspects and potential witnesses. PlateRanger provides accurate vehicle information even in low-light conditions, enhancing situational awareness and officer safety.
• Superior night images: Image quality at night is imperative, as partial plates or blurry reads can slow the investigative process. PlateRanger’s ability to capture images at night accurately—even in low-light situations—which is when many gun crimes happen—reduces unproductive investigative efforts.
• Cost-effective: PlateRanger allows agencies to do more with less while providing actionable vehicle-related leads and improving investigative capabilities.

Connecting vehicle associations in investigations is crucial. When integrated with systems like ShotSpotter, LPR solutions provide associated vehicle information, reduce data duplication, and save investigative time, improving investigative capacity. The PlateRanger ALPR solution provides real-time alerts for recognized vehicles of interest, stolen vehicle hotlists, BOLOs, and AMBER and Silver alerts to enhance officer safety through situational awareness. PlateRanger data can be quickly integrated to automate and add even more investigative capacity to ShotSpotter and PlateRanger.

Advantages of PlateRanger Integration with ShotSpotter Gunshot Detection

ShotSpotter is the ears that connect the gun crime incident with the eyes of PlateRanger’s ALPR. It’s not hard to imagine a gun crime situation where PlateRanger captures the license plate of the suspect vehicle at a busy intersection during a high-traffic time and the difficulty that investigators might have looking for suspect vehicles. PlateRanger’s ALPR covers up to 2 traffic lanes with a 75-foot maximum coverage range and can read license plates of vehicles traveling up to 70 mph.

Using a much smaller list of license plates, the investigator can use those results to focus on the vehicles and plates of higher interest first, providing greater investigative capacity. Not only does the ShotSpotter and PlateRanger integration help sort through the license plate reads historically, but the PlateRanger video clips provide greater context to the incident, showing people entering/exiting the vehicle and finding associated vehicles and potential witnesses.

PlateRanger integration with ShotSpotter.

Investigative Benefits of ShotSpotter

• High accuracy: ShotSpotter alerts police of virtually all gunfire within a city’s coverage area within 60 seconds, with an over 97% aggregate accuracy rate and a false positive rate of less than 0.5%. PlateRanger accurately identifies vehicle plates and characteristics of vehicles with over 99% accurate plate reads.
• 24×7 Incident Review Center (IRC): This center ensures the accuracy of every gunfire alert, enabling prompt and effective police response.
• Response time reporting: Enables agencies to monitor and improve gunfire response times.
• Ground Truth reporting: Improves documentation around evidence collection, increasing the likelihood of solving cases.
• In-depth reporting: Facilitates the development of impactful gun violence prevention initiatives.
• Investigative Lead Services and Forensic Services: Support every step of the investigative process, from immediate follow-up to presenting evidence in court.
• Community Privacy Protections: Agencies integrating ShotSpotter gunshot alert data with other platforms using push APIs achieve digital transformation. This data can be integrated with license plate readers, RMS, CAD, predictive policing software, crime dashboards, access controls, geospatial software, and drones.
• Integrating LPR Data
  • Real-time crime mapping: Displaying gunshot locations on crime maps in real-time enhances response and planning.
  • Data transfer automation: Gunshot incident data can be automatically transferred to CAD/RMS/Crime Analysis Tools, reducing manual entry and errors.

Increasing Gun Crime Investigative Capacity

Gun violence in America’s cities is a devastating epidemic, with an average of one death from firearms every 11 minutes. With only 15-20% of gunfire reported to 911, gunshot detection technology alerts agencies when gunfire is ‘heard’, hastening response times and helping save lives. Integrating PlateRanger ALPR with ShotSpotter gunshot detection offers law enforcement agencies a powerful tool to enhance investigative capabilities, improve response times, and restore safe communities. With integrated solutions, agencies can efficiently connect the dots, close cases, and provide a safer environment.

Register for the upcoming webinar about PlateRanger’s license plate recognition and learn about the integration with ShotSpotter.

Watch the PlateRanger Webinar On Demand